Even though it doesn’t feel like it, Summer is near and it’s never too early to start thinking about your backyard or outdoor living space. This is a great time to prepare your backyard for the sunny and warm months ahead. This means undertaking some essential duties around the yard, in the garden, and on your patio to guarantee that all spaces will be set to go when sunshine strikes. Below are 5 things you can do to prepare your backyard for summer:
Prepare Your Garden
Spring is the best time to start planting and planning within your backyard and garden. Research what plants or flowers can be planted now, and leave space for starting plants indoors that will need to be planted outside at a later date. Similarly, take the time to weed and prepare your garden beds by adding compost and new soil so you have fertile ground to work with. This is also a great time to deal with any plants that may not have survived the winter or need a clean-up before the weather warms and a new growth cycle begins.
Maintain Your Lawn
Your lawn is a large part of most backyards and, surprisingly, needs the care to keep it green and healthy. This is a great time to weed, water, replant, and re-cut your lawn edges to make sure it is soft and luscious enough for bare-feet all season. It’s important to mow your lawn weekly and make it a little shorter while it’s still rainy to stifle weed growth and encourage the roots to go deeper so they can sustain it on the long dry weeks.
Refurbish Your Patio
Your patio will be the centerpiece of your backyard for social gatherings, quiet evening cocktails with your significant other, or a place to relax and meditate close to nature, without getting dirty. Essentially you want to make sure it is ready for anything by preparing it ahead of time. A great way to do this is to start with the large components like the patio itself and the furniture. Pressure washing of the deck, stairs, and railings can be done by attaching a specially designed bottle filled with dirt and algae remover to your hose. Once you have washed away any built-up debris from fall and winter you are ready to refurbish or replace your furniture. A sparkling clean deck and dust-free furniture is more inviting for those impromptu stargazing sessions, so good for the soul.
Choosing Your Lighting
Ensure your backyard area is not only comfy but warm and entertaining late into the evenings. Think about adding lighting around the yard and a source of heat near the sitting areas to lengthen those summer nights. Lighting an outdoor area can be as easy as adding solar lights or hanging a more lasting source, such as a fixture to make your yard stand-out, or hang strings of fairy lights for a touch of magic. For physical warmth, beyond the dazzling smiles of your friends and family, you can go with something like the kind of heat-lamp you see in restaurants or a fire pit so you can roast weenies and toast marshmallows. Homemade smores and cooking over an open flame will leave lasting memories with all your friends and family.
Clean Your Exterior
Finally, for the longevity of your finishes, its important to take time to clean and maintain the exterior of your home, garage, and shed. Whether you choose to hand wash the areas that need it most, rent a power-washer or do a complete curb-appeal overhaul by cleaning out anything that isn’t needed and washing everything that can be washed, it will be worth it. Break down this big job into smaller tasks, then plan to do one area per day over a few days to make sure you don’t get sore or overwhelmed. Windows alone can take a lot longer to get cleaned than it seems like they should. Always be careful when working at heights. Either have someone hold the ladder for higher windows or call in a professional to clean windows, skylights, and gutters.
Whether you have a small yard or an acreage big enough to host professional sports, creating an outdoor oasis does not have to be an ordeal. With a little planning, creativity, and the kind of effort that brings instant satisfaction, you can have a gorgeous backyard complete with flower beds, garden paths, or water features that are guaranteed to be the envy of your neighborhood and improve the resale value of your home. Talk to our Customer Lifecycle Manager if you are interested in hiring VictorEric’s team of professionals to assist you with coordinating the ongoing maintenance of your custom home.
You can reach us at 604-677-0021.
